έκσταση
by AnnabethChase999
Summary: This life, my life, had been flipped upside down in a matter of a millisecond, and since then there had been nothing but confusion. Grief. Pain. Hatred.
1. Prologue

*tap tap tap*

I ignored the pen Malcolm was using to lightly tap against the desk. My entire body was rigid, and yet so numb and unfeeling at the same time. It was chilly and I had a stuffy nose, but that was the least of my problems.

None of this made sense.

This life, my life, had been flipped upside down in a matter of a millisecond, and since then there had been nothing but confusion. Grief. Pain. Hatred.

And who's to blame? Please, don't ask me. I have no answers for my brother. No answers for my father. No answers for my friends.

And no answers for myself.

All I did know was that I didn't know what to do with myself at this stage. I can't quite think of myself as being particularly depressed at this point, because that didn't seem appropriate. I didn't know _what_ exactly was going on, but I knew something wasn't _finished_.

*tap tap tap*

I stared at the corner of the room, watching a spider slowly make its way up its web, toward the trapped prey. A cold, bitter breeze came through the slightly cracked window, blowing aggressively against the web, but the eight-legged creature was relentless, staying tactfully on course, reaching its dinner in no time.

*tap tap tap*

My eyes averted toward the picture frame resting on the floor, one my Dad had angrily shoved off of the desk the other day. My mother's bright grey eyes stared at me from the picture, looking nothing short of content and happy. My brother and I were in the picture with her, Malcolm with an Oxford dictionary tucked in his arms like a treasure, and I with a sketch pad on my lap, pencil tucked lamely behind my ear. I remember my dad taking that picture, both my brother and I reluctant to get in it. Malcolm was concerned about learning every English word known to man by the end of that summer, and I just wanted to finish my sketches.

*tap tap tap*

A head ache was forming inside me, and I took a few deep breathes to try and clear it.

*tap tap tap*

All too soon my headache turned into a small migraine and that stupid pencil was not something I could block out anymore.

*tap tap tap*

"Will you _STOP_?"

My brother slowly looked up at me, his pale blue eyes stoic. After a moment of just glaring at each other, he pushed away from the desk and stood up, tossing the pencil onto the floor bitterly.g He walked out of the room without another word, muttering something under his breath.

I took a deep breath again and fell back against my bed, running my shaking hand over my face. Even with the light from the lamp on my desk, the whole room seemed grey and depressing. Much like how my eyes probably looked.

My focus turned to my phone a moment later when I heard it vibrate. I checked the screen to see who it was from.

_**Percy**_. It read.


	2. That Bible Thumper

"Boom," someone spook suddenly from behind me, catching me slightly off guard and causing me to drop my pen at the bottom of my locker. I knew I'd never see it again, considering who I shared it with and how messy he'd made it.

I turned with a risen eyebrow to look at the weirdo behind me. "Boom?"

He grinned the grin of mischief.

"Boom! It's on. Your breath is really strong." His eyes gleamed with character. "Wait! Hold back. You need a tic tac. Not a tic. Not a tac, but the whole dang pack. Sorry to be mean but you need some Listerine. Not a sip, not a swallow, but the whole dang bottle!"

I stared, jaw hanging. "_Really_, Percy? Did you _really_ just say that?"

He cracked up, something he often did after he told me something he thought was quite funny. Who laughs at their own jokes like that?

I couldn't help but smile though as the dimple on his right cheek appeared through his mirth. "Jeez, I thought my breath was fine, but I guess if it's not, then-"

He cut me off with a quick peck on my lips, his laughter subsided. "Grover and I were just thinking back to all of the quirky little rhymes we use to hear when we were kids. I couldn't get that one out of my head."

I hmmm'd and grabbed one last notebook from my locker before stepping aside so he could grab what he needed.

While he did so, someone accidently bumped into my shoulder.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Annabeth!" a small voice to my right apologized.

I looked over at the girl, who stood slightly taller than me. She had thick-framed glasses, wore an oversized sweater, and had several folders and books clung to her chest by her thin arms. I felt extremely guilty for not knowing her name, as she knew mine. I'd seen her around a lot because we'd gone to the same school for about four years now, but we'd just never gotten around to speaking to each other.

I smiled gently at her. "That's okay. I was kind of in the way anyways." I didn't know whether I should ask for her name or not.

I'd ask someone later what her name was.

Percy should know. Hopefully.

She smiled back at me shyly before walking away to her destination.

"So," Percy spoke up beside me, shutting our locker in the process. "Miss Bible-Thumper seems to be a bit clumsy this morning," he chuckled.

"Bible thumper?" I questioned while raising a thin eyebrow.

Percy nodded and took my hand, leading us both to our first period. "Yeah, Leah is always like praying or something in my free period. I sometimes go to the library to just chill and listen to music and I'll see her there tucked in some corner talking to some guy in the sky. Kinda weird."

I frowned and looked down in thought as we walked. So Leah was her name. "How does that make her a Bible Thumper, as you so called her before?"

My boyfriend shrugged, adjusting the thick strap of his bag on his wide shoulder. "I don't know, I just think that kinda stuff belongs at home. Oh!" He suddenly looked as if he was remembering something. "Once Grover told me she had come up to him and told him that he needed Jesus or something," he frowned. "She should stay out of his business if you ask me."

I bit my lip in thought. I honestly didn't know much about this 'Jesus' guy. When I was younger my mother had me sit in pews with her every Sunday, along with my father and siblings. I stopped going when I was twelve, along with my father and older brother Malcolm. I found the pews uncomfortable and the people a bit weird and judgmental. I remember accidently swearing once during service when my dad stepped on my foot and had gotten several risen eyebrows from people.

Weren't they not supposed to judge? I didn't read the Bible much when I had attended, usually just staring at the pages when our pastor had told us which versus to turn to, but didn't it say somewhere that they weren't supposed to judge others?

"Huh, that is kind of weird. She just walked up to him randomly and said that?" I asked, glancing up at his handsome face.

He took a moment to think about it and slowly shook his head. "No, I think he said he was on the phone and was saying some super depressing stuff and she was kind of listening and when he got off of the phone, she went up to him and was asking him if he was okay. In the end she had invited him to her church and said that Jesus would help him."

I frowned. That didn't seem that bad.

"I don't understand how people can be so dedicated to all of that religious stuff. Just seems like a bunch of rules to me," He added just before we arrived at my first period.

I didn't comment. My mother was one of those 'religious people' and she actually seemed to like it. I don't know why, because I agreed with Percy in that it seemed like a lot of rules for people. Not only that, but it also just seemed like some desperate way to feel better about their lives. What they went to when the times got tough.

He cleared his throat and stopped outside of my first class. "Anyway, I'll see you during lunch," he leaned down and kissed me.

I nodded and joined the rest of my class.

The only thing was that I couldn't concentrate on the math problems in front of me. I couldn't concentrate on the teacher at the front of the room. I couldn't concentrate on the fact that Luke from behind kept trying to touch my hair, despite my annoyance.

The only thing that kept bugging my mind was that I kind of wanted to know what this Leah chick was about. I knew that she didn't seem to have many friends. I never really saw her hang out with many people, but it's not like I paid much attention either, so I could be completely wrong.

I tended to hang out with the people that were considered a bit weird and loser-like to others. Honestly, I found them quite more interesting than other people, save for Percy and Rachel of course.

Percy wasn't one of those people considered to be an outcast at our school. He was captain of the swim team, usually the talk of the teachers, had okay grades and a great mother. Pretty normal.

Rachel was the average Joe at our school as well. With flying colors of passing grades, beautiful red hair, and known as the best artist in the school, people tended to want to be her friend.

The fact that both of them were some of the nicest people (save for Percy's temper that popped up every blue moon), had people constantly trying to be acquainted with them.

Anyways, like I said before, other than Percy and Rachel, I tend to hang out with the 'outcasts'. I needed to figure out if she had any real friends and if not, I'd say hello to her and get to know her. I found it pretty sad when people walked alone throughout their years in high school. It was supposed to be a special time for us.

"Annabeth," Luke whispered from behind me, his breath puffing against the back of my head.

I sighed and turned my head slightly, "What?"

I hadn't turned my head to fully look at him, but out of the corner of my eye I could see him smirking. "I like your hair today. It suits you."

I held back my scowl and roll of the eyes. My curly ponytail was the same every day.

Curly.

And in a ponytail.

"Thanks," I muttered and turned my head back in the general direction of Mr. Walker.

I felt a small tug on my ponytail and crossed my arms in annoyance.

Luke Castellan had gone to school with me since we were little kids, before I even knew Percy. He had attended church with me, and as far as I knew he still did, and was the last person I ever wanted to sit next to, in front of, or just near in general.

"Come to my house later," I heard him whisper. "A few of us are going to a hookah bar tonight. Meet up with me and we'll ride there together."

Nope. No. Absolutely not, Castellan.

I didn't respond to him and leaned forward in my seat to give us some distance. I didn't understand the whole hype of drugs and hookahs these days. If you did them, you were 'cool'. If you didn't do them, you were 'lame and a shame'.

When class ended, I rushed out of the room, eager to get away from the tall, blue-eyed boy who sat behind me every day in math. Rachel stopped me in the hallway and asked me to walk to the office with her as her best friend, because it seems that there was an unwritten rule stating that girls that walk, pee and eat together, stay together.

By the time she'd dropped off whatever it is she needed to drop off at the office, I was running late for gym. Most people probably would've hated having gym so early in the day, but I didn't. I loved it in fact. If I wasn't quite awake yet by first period, gym sure woke me up.

I blushed as I saw everyone already dressed and sitting at the bleachers. My teacher, Mr. Truter, gave me a pointed look as he continued to talk to the class.

Hastily making my way into the locker rooms, I walked over to my designated locker and began turning the code, hearing it give a click of passage. I quickly changed into a pair of shorts and a baggy t-shirt that I seriously needed to take home and wash tonight, and slipped into a pair of rundown sneakers I'd been using since last year's gym class.

All of a sudden, I heard a faint noise. A groan of some sorts, as if someone was in pain.

I frowned and hastily pushed my things into my locker, securing there safety with the clunky lock. Slowly walking around one of the aisles of lockers, I trained my ears in to see if I could hear it again.

There it is.

I passed another aisle of lockers and looked to my right, seeing Leah sitting on one of the long benches, hunched over and only dressed in a sports bra and gym shorts. Her head was down, and she was strangely holding onto…her boob?

"Leah?" I asked, concern filling my voice.

She quickly looked up, embarrassment clouding her figure as she dropped her hand and grabbed her sweatshirt that I guessed she was going to use for class today. She pulled it up over her head and pushed it down her torso with quick movements.

"Are you okay?" I asked, trying not to focus on how hard she was blushing. Like a tomato. She had one of those blushes that didn't just stay at the cheeks. Her entire face was red, and the same was happening to her neck, well what I could see of her neck.

She cleared her throat and pushed her glasses back up her nose, frantically grabbing her shoes and slipping them on. "Yeah, uh, I'm fine. I, um, just bumped my chest against my locker door is all." She stuttered and it was almost too hard to hear her between the quiet voice and stuttering.

I smiled though and tucked a strand of fallen hair behind my ear. "Oh, well, that explains that then." I chuckled and sucked my lips in awkwardly. "Want to walk out with me? I'd rather have someone to walk with and be on the receiving end of Mr. Truter's glares than do it alone."

She nodded and stuffed her things into her locker, giving me a surprisingly bright smile. Where did that come from?

"Sure," she agreed.

And that was the first time I'd _officially_ met Leah Hamilton.

Didn't know it would change my life.

****___έ__κσταση_

**Thank you everyone for reading! Now please don't assume that this is what I think of people who read the bible. If you read my 'Repent' chapter, you'd know otherwise. **

**So yes, Leah is going to be an interesting character I would say. **

**Percy and Annabeth too though of course. **

**This story is going to center around Annabeth growing into a different person, learning things she never knew or considered. Hopefully we'll all learn as well as I write and you read.**

**~QUESTIONAIRE~**

**Who else loved/loves hanging with the outsiders in school?**

**Are you ready for another chapter?**


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